Lionheart
by EmilyRiddle
Summary: Will discovers that Hannibal is the cannibal that they are looking for. He goes to confront Hannibal with some surprising questions and even more surprising results.


"Will, what are you doing here? Our usual session is not until Thursday." Hannibal asked as he saw the young empath step into the room. Judging by the look on Will's face he could already tell what this was about. Will had finally opened his eyes to the gruesome scene that was being played right before his very eyes. Hannibal knew from the very moment that he met Will that it would only be a matter of time before Will dived into his mind. Slowly, Hannibal grasped his letter opener with the intent to use it if he needed.

"How does it taste?" Will's question caught Hannibal off guard. Of all the things that could have come out of Will Graham's mouth, that was not one that would have been predicted. Hannibal found his grip on the letter opener loosening as he looked at Will's slightly trembling figure. He was pleased to note that Will was smart enough to know when he was locked in a room with a lion. Hannibal leaned against his desk with a slight smirk. He decided that he would act nonchalantly. What did he have to hide? Judging by Will's posture and stance he already knew what skeletons resided inside Hannibal's mind.

"I could show you, if you like." Hannibal threw out confidently. He knew that Will was not posing him a threat and he let the letter opener fall back upon the desk. Will tracked his every motion. Will gave his small quirky smile before replying,

"I don't really think I have the s-s-stomach for it." Will stuttered out. He relaxed a bit once Hannibal let go of the letter opener. Hannibal smiled.

"Would you be upset if I told you that you already have an acquired taste for it?" Hannibal stated closely watching Will's reaction. How was Will to know that every time they had dined together Will was partaking in the eating of some random victim? Hannibal pondered how he would feel once he truly realized that all the compliments he had dished out were to a very special cuisine.

"How?" Will asked. He would have noticed if Hannibal had tried to feed him meat from a human. Will shivered for a moment as he realized that he had just referred to a human being as meat.

"Every time I have cooked for you, brought you meals, there has always been a little special ingredient." Hannibal admitted easily. He watched in amusement as the color drained from Will's face.

"Do you feed it to everyone who dines with you?" Will asked, almost sounding jealous. He wanted to have more difficulties referring human body parts as meat but his mind would not cooperate with him. He could almost picture Lecter in his kitchen hacking away at some poor victim's liver. He vaguely wondered how hard it would be to tear the heart muscles away from each other and how a still beating heart would feel in his hands. He wondered if it would be hot and slick with blood. Will felt his mouth begin to water, so he tried to distract himself from that line of thought by yanking some of his curls. He hoped that Hannibal would not pick up on it but ever the psychiatrist he did. A little smirk graced his face.

"I once fed Jack Crawford an old patient of mine under the guise of it being a pork loin. Other than that it has only been you." Hannibal admitted lightly. He was fully relaxed now and he noted that Will also felt he could relax. He watched as Will took a deep breath and sat down in his leather chair. To an outsider it would look like any normal therapy session.

Hannibal took his time in walking to the chair opposite of Will. A normal person would be breaking for the exit by now but not his Will. Will sat straight and never took his eyes away from Hannibal's form. Hannibal sat down on the edge of the chair and looked straight at Will. For once Will was not attempting to avoid eye contact.

"The protein scramble." Will stated. Hannibal gave a nod encouraging Will to continue. Will took a deep breathe, "You said you would help me see his face so you gave me the negative. You gift wrapped a body so that I could finally figure out Hobbs's golden ticket. Then you fed me the girl's lungs while you talked me through the discovery." Will finished rubbing his hands over his face. He wasn't sure how he should feel about everything that was going on. He wanted to feel sick that he had complimented the meal but knew that he could not. He wanted to feel bad for the girl who had been left on antlers just so that he could understand Hobbs better but he did not.

"The devil is in the details." To say that Hannibal was pleased would be an understatement. Here was someone who could understand just how Hannibal ticked and was not attempting to run away. Instead, he was creating beauty out of something so unmentionable. Hannibal began to wonder if that made Will very brave or very foolish.

"How long have you been this way?" Will asked. Hannibal smiled.

"There is no certain way I am being, I am simple the way I was born. If you are asking how long I have been what you refer to as a cannibal I would have to say since I was a boy. The first person I ever ate was my little sister Mischa. We lived in the country of Lithuania and Mischa was very sick. It was war time and we were hiding in our abandoned house after our parents had been murdered. Some mongrel rag team of soldiers decided that they would take over our hiding spot and use it as their own. They were cruel and vile men and it wasn't long before they used up all of the rations of food we had. One day they became too hungry and they ripped my sister from my arms and killed her. Then they force fed me a stew made from her bones to keep me healthy long enough to eat me as well. I escaped but I could never escape the taste of human meat. I spent many years after that tracking down and killing every single mongrel that had been a part of that team. I ate a piece from every single one of them and I could not get enough. Once I was done I came here to the states and began attending John Hopkins. "Hannibal explained slowly. He had never explained any of his past to anyone before but he felt compelled to share this piece with Will. Will felt a deep twinge of sympathy for the doctor, Will was an only child and could not imagine losing a sibling much less being force fed that very sibling. He also felt a deep sense of honor for being someone that Lecter took into his confidence. "I have connected with your mind and you are the only one that I can't shake. I have seen horrible things and I can't find it in myself to be disgusted. I think better when I am around you and you have taken care of me in subtle ways. What am I supposed to do? You take people and rip out their organs while they are still alive. They can feel every tear and shred that you make on their body. You relish in the power you have over these people and then spend your nights sautéing them like meat you pick up from a butcher. I should want to run and tell Jack as soon as possible but here I sit with you. You could do anything you wanted to me and nobody would know because nobody knows that I am here. Tell me, Doctor Lecter, what part of me would you consume?" Will said quickly. It was true. No one knew of Will's suspicions concerning the good doctor. No one knew that he had decided to confront the man alone. If Hannibal were to decide to attack him, Will knew he had little hope of fighting him off or defending himself. Hannibal lowered himself to his feet so that he was kneeling at Will's feet. Will looked at the man with a frightened expression and wondered if he should have run away when he had the chance. Hannibal raised his hands and let his fingertips skirt against Will's clothed chest right above his heart. Will was mesmerized by the movement and took a deep breath before making eye contact with Lecter. Once eye contact was established Will found himself drowning in Hannibal's gaze. His eyes were cold with a reddish hue. He watched as the muscles twitched into a smile on Hannibal's face. "I would eat your heart because it has always been mine to consume." 


End file.
